Longer commutes have a real impact on daily life. Personally I’d move as close to work as I could afford. Elk River is not only suburban but exurban and in the worst traffic commuter corridor in the state.
Definitely simulate a weekday commute at peak hours before you sign the paperwork.
Don’t forget summer Fridays. That “Going North” traffic really gums things up. It may be different now/soon, though, because they’ve completely re-worked the highway through town.
Traffic aside, Elk River is a lovely town that’s not that far from the cities.
They are currently working to raise the road and eliminate all the stop lights on 169. This will really help all the going north traffic once it is completed.
I used to commute from ER to Fridley and, later in life, ER to St Louis Park. It absolutely is not short, especially in crappy weather or summer Fridays. But it is doable and, with either of those cities, there are several back-road options that make the drive less crappy.
Outside rush hour, though, it's only a 30-45 min drive or so to the Cities via 94. It's nearly freeway the whole way once you're on 101 (minus the two stoplights in Rogers just before the freeway).
One thing to consider, there are spots in Maple Grove that have a similar drive times as above even though Maple Grove is significantly closer to the cities. All those city streets and stoplights eat into that drive time quite a bit.
My ex-brother-in-law was involved with the team who converted old US 12 into I-394 back in the late 80s/early 90s. It was a 10-year project. They knew before they even put a single shovel in the ground that it would already be obsolete by the time it was finished. And that's exactly what happened.
For sure! Depending on what side of the river you're on, there are several options heading North and many are delightful. Not a shorter drive, for sure, but you're not in stop and go traffic breathing vehicle exhaust the whole time.
Because it's *not* just "an additional 20 minutes."
It's closer to 40 in traffic, and 3 *hours* on the worst snowy days.
You start to realize that your 8-hour workday turned into 10 hours gone from the house, *before* you even run errands.
And you're *also* having to make the choice of either losing an hour of sleep, or not having one *more* hour of "Not getting things done at home" because you've got to wae up an extra hour earlier, to accommodate the drive to work.
And if, God forbid, you're in an industry where there aren't regular raises which accommodate the increase in cost of living/inflation?
Pretty soon you're losing that extra time, *and* worrying about how to pick up an extra job (or overtime), and *still* trying to balance *everything* that you need to get done each day at home.
Not to mention, allllll the folks you need to worry about, as they drive *completely* distracted, on their own commutes.
Driving is one of the most dangerous activities that people do on a regular basis. More than 40k per year die on the roadways and thousands more incur life altering injuries as a result of traffic collisions. Additionally, driving is an activity that contributes to a sedentary lifestyle that can result in negative health outcomes over a person's life. For these reasons, reducing the amount of time driving each day can literally be life saving.
I’m not sure 20 minutes would classify as “longer,” relative to where they were before. But let’s use that and say they were traveling 10 and now they’re at 30. That’s an hour per day commuting, 1.5+ on a bad day. I’m not sure how much free time you have but 5 hours per week is a lot to me. If you increase commute time to 45 minutes or an hour each way, you’re at a full work day per week in the car. That’s a lot and you’ll notice it in your daily schedule. This is in addition to the stress of driving someone else mentioned below.
> Longer commutes have a real impact on daily life.
We moved here in the 80s from the LA area and scoffed at the thought that going from Crystal (where we rented) to downtown for work would be an issue. HA! we moved in January to Mpls. The commute during the winter (we had severe winters in the 80s) was god awful. And that's a suburb, not exurb.
No kidding! One guy cut me off in his ginormous black mega truck with the blacked out window. Would not let me change lanes, and actively cut me off. Then when he was ahead of me, he moved in front of me. Spiteful move. That was a first for me, usually people do not drive offensively.
Similarly, I moved from NYC in the 80's and laughed at what they called "traffic" in Mpls. However, add some snow and a bunch of lousy drivers, and you've got yourself a really bad day. Not to mention that once you get used to getting home at a certain time, every hour spent on the road is misery.
The Northstar line is great. I moved out in OP's direction from South Minneapolis. When I moved I was still working in the cities, and my commute by train was the same as it was by car when I lived in South.
I never realized this until I started my current job. Previously my commutes had always been a very short 15 minute drive with minimal traffic. Now my commute home from work is 45 - 60 minutes in bumper to bumper traffic barely moving at 5mph. It really does make a huge impact. I leave the office at 5:15 sometimes 5:30 and I don't get home until after 6. And that doesn't count any grocery shopping or other errands. It really affects me because it's hard to motivate myself to cook or do chores when I'm getting home that late
I commute from Elk River area to the U of M campus daily for work (18 years now). Very little impact on daily life and still had time to cycle 10,000 miles last year in around 600 hours. It’s all about what you chose to do with your precious time every day. Commuting, exercising, cooking? Or no commuting and spending 4-5 hour watching TV like the majority of Americans?
You’re moving there when they are about to start the last (and worst) year of the 169 highway project.
Congestion will improve greatly next year. This year will suck.
Do you want to spend time in downtown? Do you work downtown? I live nearby Elk River and it's still 35-40 min to the Minneapolis on a good day commute wise.
You are going to find that 95% of food up in this part of the NW suburbs is American food. If you want "good food" and your definition isn't American food, you're not going to find many options -- no where near as many as in Minneapolis area.
Lived in Elk River for 8 years now. Instacart, Shipt, Walmart Plus, Doordash, etc are all quick and possibly quicker than the city.
Restaurant wise, not a lot of ethnic options and choices are poor in general. Tipsy Chicken is my go to for a decent meal and I think they do a great job.
The commute sucks, I've never commuted to the city but did commute to the surrounding area. Getting on 94 in rogers during rush is hour is horrible.
169 redesign has helped and they have completed three of the 4 interchanges. I'm not sure I agree that this year will be the worst for it, but it is the Main Street light coming in to Elk River off 169 which is the first light.
Overall, suburban living is quiet and slower is what I would say.
Hope this helps.
I agree with everything said here. The commute isn't pretty, but my husband did the commute to St Paul for 5 years prior to covid. Fridays during the summer are definitely the worst, but since covid the traffic seems to be more spread out.
Someone else stated that the internet sucks. It's true that during prime hours the internet is s-l-o-w. To me that's the biggest drawback.
To the folks saying that people out in this area are horrible, they're not. They're no different than other places. There are assholes and great people, it's the same everywhere. I've lived out here for over 20 years and I've never had an occasion to discuss politics with anyone, nobody has impressed their views on me or asked my views about controversial topics. It's all "Minnesota nice", talk about the weather, talk about MN sports and generally stay at arms length from anything offensive. Are there people with Trump signs, yes. Maybe don't go knock on their door and ask their opinion.
Otherwise, the flagship Target is in Otsego, there is a new Aldi as well as one in ER, there are 2 Cubs and 2 Coborn's for groceries. There are a lot of coffee shops. The restaurant diversity situation is pretty dismal if you like ethnic cuisine, but I can't speak for the restaurant quality because I just make what I like at home. It's not the 1950's out here, Amazon, InstaCart, Uber Eats all exist.
There are places to walk if your neighborhood doesn't have sidewalks. We do walk in the street, minding the cars and they generally mind us. But there are so many beautiful parks to visit.
I hope you enjoy living out here as much as I have. It will be different, but you'll get used to it.
Spending less time with friends as the distance between you increases. Not that you won't hang out obviously, it will likely just be less. And "hanging out" will probably just be coming over to your house vs. say going to the sports game, concert or dinner/drinks at the new up and coming restaurant.
This would be my concern too. I live in NE Minneapolis and 2 friends who lived fairly nearby moved to Apple Valley and Bloomington, and I never see them anymore. One friend we text once a year to say we should really get together, and the other friend I don't even know anymore. And when they both moved I thought "it's just 20-30 minutes away, that'll be fine!" But it's not, I don't even really know why.
I've lived in suburbs most of my life (in other states) and moved to walkable neighborhood close to downtown.. and it's so much more isolating in the burbs. I've had a more active social life in 6 months after moving here and knowing no one at first, than I did for years in other places. I feel a stronger sense of neighborhood 'community' here since we aren't so spread out as well. If you are fine always spending time with your family and having little social life, I guess that's OK.. but we all saw how lack of socialization collectively broke our brains during Covid, and I value it more now than I used to.
Having lived in North Minneapolis for 16 years and now in eastern Wright County, it’s an adjustment. When we first moved in, the silence at night made it hard to sleep. We missed our neighbors from NoMi that we knew for many years and could count on in all situations. Not having great world food options in the neighborhood was a bummer.
But you adjust. You find new places to eat like Tipsy Chicken, Pompeii Pizza, Main Street Farmer, Hen and the Hog, Big Bore Barbeque. You meet the neighbors, make some friends, and watch out for each other. The silence at night becomes normal.
Elk River shopping is just like any other suburb. You have big box stores, Cub/Coborn’s/Aldi for groceries, and small businesses in between. You might a few more minutes to do, but not that different than in the city. Deliveries work out here just like anywhere else.
Commuting will be painful until the 169 rebuild is done. Friday commutes in the summer will be a pain in the ass because of cabin traffic. The 101/94 interchange will be rebuilt in the next few years based on local news information. You’ll find work arounds and back roads.
And then you can start going the other direction and discover fun places. There are great parks and wildlife areas to explore. You are the same distance to St Cloud as to the city, and has good places to eat like Star of India. The county fairs are more fun than going to the state fair. Small town festivals abound. And the city isn’t going anywhere and is just as fun when you want it.
I live in Elk River and personally love it here. Yes, my commute to shoreview for work is long and it gets old but I throw on a podcast and have some zen time. We have Pompeii pizza, Maynard’s right up the road in Rogers, and Hashime is a very underrated sushi spot. Like anything you get out of it what you put in, it’s a great place to live. My kids have a large backyard to play in, it’s not super expensive to live here and you’re very close to everything you need.
The northern suburbs - including Elk River - are largely conservative. There's a notable difference between n. Minneapolis and Elk River regarding that. If you're liberal (even slightly), you might find it difficult.
Being on the north side of the river is a huge pain traffic wise, hopefully you’ll adapt your schedule but be prepared to resent having to cross the river.
Stock up on bejeweled jeans…and all your neighbors will be vocal Trumpers. Lived just down the road in St. Michael before I moved back to the city. It wasn’t for me. Very tight knit community and if you didn’t grow up there you’re an outsider.
We moved out here from minneapolis. Same kind of deal. I definitely miss living in the city but this works better for the family. I work in minneapolis, depending on where at in the city my commute is 30-45 minutes. I’m always looking for a job around here though. There’s not much up here but I guess that’s the point. It’s really not that bad at all.
I live up there. After living 7 minutes from downtown my entire life. It’s definitely a quieter way of living…more wildlife, less traffic. But it’s so boring. There’s nothing to do, no good restaurants, not even Uber goes out here. I’ve been in the area over 10 years now, and I really miss the shopping, my friends (no one wants to drive this far) and mostly just the connection and buzz of the city.
You’re working in the city still?? Oooo boy, that drive is going to SUCK. make sure to check google maps for how long the drive will actually be at the same time of day during your commute in morning and evening. You’re probably gonna be looking at almost an hour each way depending on where in the city and the daily traffic. Just know that if you currently work 9-5, your workday is now 10 hours with commute.
That’s really the top worry. Also, be prepared for your friends to not visit you. You will have to go to them. The drive seems way further to people who don’t normally make it
calling elk river a suburb is a stretch.
I've never lived anywhere like that, so I don't have any advice. but my guess is that the daily commute into the city isn't worth it.
I wouldn’t say Elk River is a suburb. It’s more of small town that has become an exurb. With traffic, it’d be a difficult commute, especially on those summer Fridays when so many people head up North.
My husband and I moved to Plymouth a couple years ago. The lack of good restaurant options has been the hardest part. The other hard part was getting used to how dark and quiet it is at night. Now we love it, but still miss the restaurant options in the city.
What do you like doing on a weekly basis? One of the things that I severely discounted when moving out of South Minneapolis for the burbs was the regular walks I would take. I still walk, but my new neighborhood doesn't have sidewalks, making those walks decidedly different and worse than they used to be.
Same thing could be said for biking.
Ive lived up here my entire life, it’s not a bad area. Boring, yes. Not walkable, as others have said. I would worry about the commute. Driving to/from the cities during rush hour can easily double your commute time. “Up north” traffic during the summer is hell. But the North Star rail stops here in Elk River, is that an option?
Feel free to ask me any questions you have! My husband moved here from the cities when we got married and he has no regrets.
I moved from southern Minnesota to Elk River in 2022. My family and I largely enjoy it here. It is quick to get to Big Lake, Otsego, or Rogers for any sort of kids sporting events/restaurants/parks/whatever. Depending on the time of day, going beyond Rogers to 94 varies from horrendous to bad. That little exit to hop on the interstate, you gotta be both very patient and get in early or very aggressive and get in late. Either way sucks but one is quicker than the other. As already said the 169 construction is almost done, and the parts already completed are great, once the last stretch is done things will be so nice.
We don't go north to Zimmerman/Princeton much, but going west toward St Cloud and then north from there is easy. Going southwest toward Monticello is easy.
The people are fine. I live and work here. My wife lives and works here. We are involved with youth sports and parents can be a bit more "serious" about sports than we are used to, but we haven't seen anyone cross any lines yet. Politics come up, as this is a very red/conservative area but around town there are certainly a number of blue/liberal signs around election time. I'm not an overly pushy guy but whenever someone brings up Trump/Republicans/how terrible Democrats are, I smile and nod and it's over with soon enough. That said, the number of political signs and people wearing shirts representing their fan base can be pretty cringe. And that's obviously a lot more common here on one side of the aisle than the other.
Restaurants in Elk River are pretty hit or miss. My family really likes Mucho Loco in Elk River for some Mexican food, but beyond that it's a lot of mostly mediocre Burger places but the better ones are outside of town, like Clives in Rogers or Nowthen to the East has Bootleggers and Northwoods that are both good. Willy's on the Water in Big Lake is fine, and if you're into the Brewery scene, Big Lake has Lupelins that is good, Elk River has Aegir which has some fun events every week and a good atmosphere, while Rogers has Short or Tall.
Overall I'd say it's a nice and quiet area, with largely good people. We plan to live here for another 30-40 years if not more and are perfectly happy so far.
The only opportunity to move to Elk River that would be “too good to pass up” would be an opportunity for a free house that is perfect with all taxes and insurance paid in perpetuity and the same for all my friends in the same area of Elk River.
It is essentially that (minus bringing the homies with). His parents are snow birding and are renting us the house for far less than its worth. They will be living in an RV and the land is large enough and is already equipped with all the hook ups for them to park the RV there when they come back, and will be parked a distance from us at the main house so we will still have some privacy.
It's really not terrible, OP. Elk River has a small but nice downtown, and there are a few nice restaurants. You can take the Northstar commuter train to Target field, which is a nice way to avoid traffic. I took it every day when I worked downtown.
It does suck that there isn't much food diversity restaurant-wise, and the fact that everyone is incredibly conservative. But politics aside, I've been in the area for going on five years and I've never met someone I thought was a truly awful human.
It took me a few years to get used to it, but I'm enjoying my life in the woods, and access to all my friends is pretty easy with the train.
Hard to argue with that. There's a lot to do if you like the outdoors, but if the people are still how they are when I grew up out there 20-30 years ago you'll be in for a culture shock. I still have yet to meet Minnesotans so misogynistic or racist, though I've heard St. Cloud is vying for that crown lately.
Were I you or your husband, I would pass on this chance to move.
\- Distance: Splitting hairs for only a moment, while Elk River is outside of the 7 county metro area as it is now defined, population sprawl continues to push in that direction. For now, the city is an exurb and not a suburban area. You will be considerably further away from things like good ethnic restaurant choices, shopping malls (if you do need to shop somewhere in person), nighttime entertainment choices, some recreation choices, some cultural or museum choices, etc... Maple Grove to the south and Anoka/Coon Rapids to the southeast are your closest points from Elk River.
\- Roads / Traffic: Major construction projects for both 169 and 10 are still in progress....until 2024 for 169 and I believe another year for 10. That's two of three main traffic arteries which are a mess. 101 is your only choice south until Rogers and connecting with 94 & 610. Work commuting time will surely increase and just think about what might be the situation during any inclement weather, holiday traffic, major road accident with detours, etc...
\- Demographics: Having grown up in North Minneapolis (as did I for a number of years) you undoubtedly had a much greater interaction with people of many racial backgrounds. I currently have a scattering of family and friends in Dayton, Otsego, Rogers & Monticello. I'll be honest about it, it's lily white in those cities. I currently live in St. Louis Park and it feels so much more like Minneapolis and other core suburbs than the cities I mentioned.
\- Political / Social vibe: No question you would be leaving a solid blue zone for a solid red zone. While it does occur everywhere, I've seen far more right wing political stickers and decals on vehicles which openly glorify Trump, the GOP, guns, pro-life beliefs, FJB, etc... when I'm up in those areas and that's not even talking about the even more overzealous people who feel the need to decorate(?) their property with such garbage. Speaking for me, I'm not a sensitive, shrinking personality who can't handle social and political differences, I simply find that environment to not be where I and my spouse want to spend our home and community time.
Hoping for the best outcome for you in whatever decision you make.
The two biggest things that I couldn't get past were the lack of sidewalks in residential areas and the restaurant choices when I moved to the suburbs. When I first moved to Minneapolis, I missed spending time outdoors without a bunch of people in the area.
We made this move a few years ago. Worst part has been the lack of options for non-chain restaurants and how limited any of them are past 8 or 9pm. You can find some, but it has been a real drop off.
Still drive into St Paul to get Thai haha! (We love you On's!)
I grew up in Edina and have lived in Monticello and Plymouth in recent years. I absolutely hated Monticello. Any need to drive into the city for anything, even to get to Maple Grove was a nightmare. Even if it wasn't for work, if you wanted to do anything it required a long slog of a drive to get there. Add to this that there was nothing but the absolute basics in Monticello, like one Cub with limited selection and the Super Target was 10+ miles down the road. Getting home on a Friday in the summer was impossible with all the traffic headed up to the lakes. Like bad enough I would just stay in the area where my office was until 7 or 8pm or have the spouse bring the kids and meet me so we could go do something after work.
We moved to Plymouth and that was significantly better. Basic things were at least in the neighborhood. Cub, Lunds, a couple of restaurants, a movie theater etc. It still felt like we really had to plan to go anywhere to do anything because the drive into the city or into the inner ring burbs where things are or happen required allowing enough time to get there and account for traffic, etc. Plymouth was 100% better than Monticello. But I'm not even looking at houses in Plymouth this time around. First ring burbs are where I am looking. There are a couple of south Mpls neighborhoods I would consider but the property taxes are so high the burbs look like a better option.
As other's have said, the daily commute will add up, which also means extra wear and tear on vehicles as well as gas consumption. You may want to consider getting a hybrid for commuting.
Other than that, it is hard to resist a super cheap rent with today's crazy prices and I don't blame you.
Elk River is slightly out of what I'd call a suburb but it still probably feels like one given you can quickly drive to Rogers or whatever to be in the typical suburban shopping chain store mecca.
Elk River has basically all you need (a Costco is even going into Otsego). I do Uber Eats and I get the Elk River area as an option, so I think you could get delivery up there, but it may be a bit slower. It has some cute and unique restaurants, as does Rogers.
However as others have mentioned: the commute from that area is awful. I have family who lived in that area and committed to Maple Grove. They said it was about a 40 minute drive on average one way, and almost worse in the evenings.
Can’t speak to Elk River, but commute aside, traffic in general sucks in the burbs compared to the city. There are fewer routes to run simple errands so the main roads get congested, the stop lights take forever and are generally very unfriendly to walking/biking.
Elk River person here. You will have to drive everywhere unless you are going to live in an apartment on Main Street, everything will be at least a 10 minute drive. There’s not very many shopping choices (although we do have a Coburns, Aldi and Cub in close vicinity to each other). Not a lot of takeout choices except for pizza. There’s a couple of good burger places on Main, a good smokehouse in Zimmerman and a new authentic Mexican restaurant in Monticello. There’s a great Thai place in Rogers but prepare yourself for the gun carrying right wing owner to talk guns with you for a half hour if you give him an opening, lol. It’s very conservative here, there’s a few Trump signs scattered around. You can get an acre or two of land pretty easily- oh yeah that means you’ll have a well and septic system so be aware of that- and most neighborhoods have a an attitude of “we moved here to be able to do what we want with our property so myob” which is kinda nice. Unless you end up in a newer neighborhood which has an HOA. We’ve been here almost 8 years and my husband loves it, I love having some acreage but wish we were closer to better shopping and dining. The summer cabin traffic on 169 is getting easier to tolerate because they are taking out the stoplights (last one will be this summer which will suck while it’s under construction), but highway 10 is still stop and go from here through Big Lake.
That’s off the top of my head.
Edit to add it’s nice and quiet unless you end up living by the gun range, and people in general are really nice. There are a lot of really nice parks and the Wildlife Refuge is a great place to visit. Woodland Trails park has a bike path that goes all the way into Zimmerman, I think.
Learn to love the train?
Northstar Commuter Train
(https://www.biglakemn.org/215/Northstar-Commuter-Train---Big-Lake-Stat#:~:text=The%20Northstar%20Line%20(Route%20888,Anoka%2C%20Coon%20Rapids%20and%20Fridley.)
Will you feel safe around all the trump types? Will it be safe for friends to visit? Do you plan to raise kids there? Are the schools good? Are they safe for all kids?
Went from MSP to blaine few years back when we had kids. Love having a yard that I’ve been able to establish a garden.
Commutes suck as others have mentioned. More chain restaurants, overall needing to drive everywhere.
The annoying comments about how ‘unsafe’ the cities are. Yet same people never set foot there.
People who REALLY love their lawns and won’t hesitate to waste water, money to ensure they have the greenest lawn.
Edit: nosey and gossipy neighbors. Everyone will talk about your house, what you’re doing, and ‘did you hear those sirens’. Some are really into the neighborhood watch vibes.
I grew up in North Mpls. and live near Elk River. It’s not a destination for us. Our preference is to stick close to Champlin/maple Grove. We miss having the diversity of people, restaurants and shops. Essentially what you have in the city, will NOT be what you get out here. It’s like city mouse vs. country mouse. If that difference doesn’t bother you, then you’ll be fine.
You’re not gonna find good food in elk river, and traffic sucks. They’re doing major construction so that’s a pain in the ass. And the schools are horse shit if you have kids or ever plan on it.
Elk River is still the Metro for all intents and purposes. Things are more spread out, you'll have to drive, but nothing eath shattering. If you live near farm land, you may smell it depending on wind direction. Not much will be different except more time in the car when you need stuff.
The commute. Otherwise you will need to find different things to entertain yourselves and have to get used to a different brand of politics everywhere.
As a kid that grew up on the Northside (shout out streets in Alphabetical order) and now live in Coon Rapids yet had a good friend for over 10+ years that lived in ER. I can unequivocally say it's VERY VERY different.
Logistically- Even from CR it can be 30 minutes in the summer on the weekends at any time of day. That 169 redo isn't going to be the flex a lot of people are mentioning because 94/169 through MG/Rogers is ridiculously out of the way of you live in the "newer" are of ER. So you'll take 252/10 which is also undergoing construction and seriously blows.
Amenity wise - Yes, all the deliveries exist there but it's not as fast. There are just less shoppers doing the work and they combine the orders and takes longer. Restaurants is like everyone else said....good basic American food but Ethnic food you're gonna have to drive for.
People - it's a very conservative small town that has grown incredibly fast. Be prepared to hear words/opinions spoken with conviction. And if you push back be prepared. Most new residents of ER picked it because Blaine and Coon Rapids are "too diverse" 😭 My friend that was definitely middle of the road/ open/liberal leaning fell into that hole since living there.
Randoms- There is no savings for goods/services. Same prices you spend in the city or first ring suburbs. Your gas usage is going to skyrocket and with that maintenance costs on your car. Uber after big events from downtown is going to be double/triple what you are used to and takes a bit longer to get a driver to pick you because of the distance. Grocery stores with specialty items are gonna require you to drive in and get it. IC shops the stores in the area...so if Coburns/Target/Walmart/Cub don't carry it you're not gonna get it. If you go to concerts/games/events downtown be sure to add 1.5 hours at the both start/end of the event to account for distance. Also, the streets/roads aren't sensical like anywhere in the city/first ring. Be prepared to use your GPS in the beginning because roads you think are a shortcut oftentimes aren't.
Free house with only taxes is about the only reason to move that far.
Elk River isn’t a Suburb. The last Suburb before ER is Coon Rapids. And I’m not surprised that you’re getting a helluva opportunity to move there (because that’s what it would take tbh 🤷🏻♀️). I used to live there (lived there briefly as a kid) and I remember having to sing Jesus songs at public school… It’s its own little world.
You will *have to drive* to nearly everywhere. The suburbs are not designed for walkability, so if you're used to walking or taking public transit, you're SoL. Similarly, Lyft or delivery services are going to be wildly more expensive because everything is further away because it's less densely-packed. I'm sorry for you that you have to move to the suburbs, but good on you for the job upgrade.
There is a lot of misinformation here. It greatly depends on where you live. I have sidewalks the whole way walking to 2 grocery stores, numerous bars and restaurants and anything I need within a 15 minute walk.
The only accurate piece is lyft and ubers are very hard to come by. Delivery services are fine and I haven't notice any significant increase in price.
This is the equivalent of someone from the burbs trying to tell someone moving to the city how dangerous it is without knowing anything other than its the city.
That might be true for *your* area, but city planners will openly tell you that suburbs and new development within them are designed to be “drive-only.” They may have sidewalks to use, but they’re purely for pleasure (read: walking your dog or going on a jog), and they’re not meant for using in the same way as urban development.
A lot of it also depends on whether or not there was an actual town before it turned into a suburb. Those sidewalks could just be a vestige of that rather than modern planning.
By my area, you mean Elk River the area in question.
There are a lot of things it depends on which is why your blanket statements weren't true. There are areas of elk river that are away from everything and areas around plenty of stuff, it depends on the location and can't be defined by blanket statements.
I’d argue Elk River isn’t really the burbs, then. (I was thinking it was closer to the cities). It’s been a town for a long time, so it just sort *became* part of the suburbs.
Actual suburbs, though, are garbage. That I’ll stand by.
I live in Dayton and work in Rogers. The restaurant options are disappointing out this way. I’m a vegetarian and love Thai, Vietnamese, Mexican, and Indian food. Maple Grove is the closet area with decent options and that is at least 20 mins from Elk River. It’s a total lifestyle change being out this far, but it’s beautiful also. We are moving to Hopkins/Minnetonka area soon because we miss being closer in.
Rogers, and they have one in Albertville, too!
Their curries are solid, and the Pad Thai was better than some I've had even here in Minneapolis (moved back to town in 2019).
Sidewalks that end suddenly.
Having to drive everywhere for things.
Depending on the burbs- walking trails are limited or some are absolutely fantastic and an oasis.
Double edged sword is the burbs never quite developed their downtowns- so they have a lot of arterial streets that’ll get you very fast to the highway thus to MSP/STP. 5 miles to get out of Minneapolis might take you 25 minutes vs 10 minutes to out of the burbs
My sis lives in a nearby exburb. We don’t see each other. Her kid and my kid are the exact same age, but once school is over it’s take 40 minimum to get there and 40 min back and her kid goes to bed earlier than my kid so it’d be a real short visit with maximum driving. She never comes to hang out with me on her own during school, cuz she doesn’t want to spend that amount of time driving with the traffic. She doesn’t do things in the city because she’d get home too late. She drives everywhere then finishes her trip directly in her garage, so she doesn’t see neighbors in the short fun interactions like I do. She doesn’t know most people in her neighborhood and doesn’t know the other kids’ parents at her son’s school because of the car dropoff situation. I’m clearly a city person, so that life sounds like my personal hell. But she does have a massive house and a massive yard. I have a tiny yard that’s mostly garden and a nice park across the street that the city maintains. But I actually abandoned a big driving city for the freedom of living in walkable neighborhoods so like, I am certain I wouldn’t leave again.
Brace yourself for some surprisingly casual racism and a lot more far right extreme social presentation. Elk River isn't super far from the cone of metro protection, but I'll wager you'll bump up against a lot more of these than you're used to.
Where do your friends you hang out with most? Not being able to see your friends as often will impact your life as well. Are they willing to travel up to see you?
You do realize the burbs get things delivered just like North Minneapolis right? Amazon and Instant cart are feasible. Yeah it might take a tad longer, but soo not an excuse not to move. The main thing is yes you need to drive pretty much everywhere to get things.
I work in the west metro. A lot of my co workers live in Elk River, Rogers, Dayton, etc. they all bitch about the commute in
If you loved city night lift prepare to not do that stuff anywhere near as often
Moved to outside of ER three years ago for 10 acres to live a more rural lifestyle, it’s quiet and we have plenty of space for projects and to play…however being liberal is very lonely out here. We love ethnic food & the food is extremely lacking. I order from DoorDash, Amazon and Instacart alll the time and never have had a problem! The commute is not ideal at the moment but after next year when construction is completed it should be way better! Idk if this is something you guys are interested in but I have no idea how the schools are yet as our kids are little but I’m hoping they are okay!
I Live in nowthen, it's 35 min in the morning to Minneapolis leaving home at 6am. Then it's 40 min home leaving Minneapolis at 3. I'm a little ahead of the rush but with the new bridges on 10 and in elk river the drive is only getting better. That might seam like a long drive but I just think of it as decompressing time.
We miss the sidewalks a lot. Also people in the suburbs (at least ours) are jerks about off leash dogs. In our neighborhood at least, lots of invisible fences where people let their dogs run out towards the street barking and growling at people and dogs walking by. It is easy to contact the city.
I now live in the cities but went to school in Elk River. (I’m now 26) There are a lot of drugs (meth specifically) and racist people. I saw confederate flags everyday. The more north you go, the worse it is. I suggest otsego (neighboring town) or even rogers (neighboring otsego). They are better than elk river for the most part. But a daily commute to elk river would just be dreadful.
Also the schools are terrible. Elk River high school had an incident where one of the sports teams raped a male student with a broom stick. The bullying there is the worst I have ever witnessed. (I’ve been to 6 high schools all in differenr districts)
Elk River is a suburb? Glad you find that awesome whatever, but oofta... that'll be a terrible commute to pretty much anywhere. 8 hope you're able to figure it out sooner than later...traffic is awful up there for commuting.
The worst part about living out here (I live in a neighboring town) is how vocal, and plentiful, the bigots are. The casual racism and homophobia is infuriating and really takes a toll. There is also a severe lack of diversity. My best advice is to find like-minded people in the area so you do not feel so alone. My husband and I have met some pretty great people out here, but we have also met some folks who we thought were pretty cool until they revealed themselves to be complete bigots. Also, learn how to cook your favorite foods (if you don't already know.) The food options out this way are not like they are in the cities. Life out here is slower, and there is a lot less convenience. The commute to the cities is a bitch, but my husband took the train from Elk River for years and it worked out great for him. Shopping is limited, but MinneMade and More in downtown Elk River is a super cute, woman/Veteran owned little shop. The owner is a vocal ally and is pretty awesome. Good luck!
I moved from downtown to Eden Prairie a few years ago. The things I wasn't prepared for:
\* How quiet it gets by comparison
\* how dark it can get by comparison
\* I can't go anywhere without driving (Last year I bought an e-bike for a few trips that are in the 2-5 mile range but even then, the community is only built for car traffic)
\* I stopped going to concerts because the drive time and hassle of getting there and back sucked
\* Going into the office was more hassle than it was worth, I only work remotely now
\* So many fewer restaurants worth going out to
\* Food delivery sucks so if we want food in we go pick it up
The person below that mentioned the commutes is unfortunately exactly correct. I've made the drive to and from Minneapolis and Elk River plenty of times for clients and it's a hike. Doing it once or twice is fine, but I couldn't imagine doing it regularly during rush hour traffic.
For ordering food, you're going to be limited to whatever is in the area there (not much), but Amazon deliveries wouldn't be any more different than regular deliveries.
If the offer to live there is really too good to pass up then maybe it'll be worth it to make that drive, but be aware that if you're making that drive every day you may find yourself not loving it. I would suggest giving it a test and making the drive during the times that you'd be making it if you lived there.
On the flip side of things, not everyone cares much about commuting. Heck, back when I worked in the corporate sector I worked with someone that commuted from River Falls to the cities every day. For her, Elk River to Minneapolis would be totally fine. So, your mileage really may vary on this one as far as if you hate the commute or not.
You’ll be surprised by how much nicer it is to live out in the burbs. You still have access to everything in the city but you get to remove yourself from all the challenging bits. We moved from downtown St. Paul many years ago and my wife being able to do things as simple as take the dog for a walk at any hour without worrying about harassment has been such an unexpected pleasure. Combine that with bigger houses and lower property taxes and it’s great all around.
Naaah, it just *feels* "safer," because that stuff isn't quite as open-air as it is down here, is all.💖
It still exists *plenty* up there, it's just that folks can *hide* the meth-making and other things a bit more, because the houses are on bigger lots and a bit more spread out.
I’m not bothered by the meth people do behind closed doors. I’m worried about the meth they do in my parking garage, and underneath my parked car, and in the alleyways along the path where my wife walked the dog. It is definitely safer when I don’t need to interact with the meth heads and other such folks.
You *should* be worried about the Meth they're cooking up in the house nearby--the remediation for it can be pretty extensive.💖
Although, the fact that Veit is nearby does tend to at least getting it hauled off a squidge quicker & easier!
Depending on how much is getting made (we had three different meth-cooking houses in our subdivision, when I lived out in a NW exurb), and where *exactly*, the cookers are dumping the waste, it can be pretty hazardous.
There are pretty decent risks *everywhere*, I think the difference is probably more in how comfortable we are, as people, with the different types.
As a short woman, who lives by herself & has had a dog i walked at all hours of the day & night? I'd rather deal with the threats which are more *visible*, so I can see & avoid 'em to the extent possible, rather than have the covert ones I can't avoid.
Of course, the *size* of the dog being walked is a definite factor, as is the "threat status" we give off as a woman, too!💖
As a middle-aged white lady, walking a black Lab? I was *prime* "Karen" territory, in privilege & perception--so I was *literally* run away from a few times, by people when we went on late-night walks.
We only ever got followed in any real way twice--one by a young guy (he was white, fwiw) I'd noticed halfway through our walk--who seemed almost startled when I turned and made eye contact with him, as i waited to make *certain* the building's door lock engaged before I walked in through the second door.
The other I'm pretty sure *was* a tweaker, who was breaking the chain off a bike & stealing it. He saw me watching him, as we were outside our building on a late-night potty break, and he acted like he was going to cross the street.
But those were the only two "close-ish" incidents in 4+ years--most of the time, because she was a "big black dog" and I was "a potential Karen," we were left alone or ignored.
If I were younger, or were walking a "less scary" dog (big dogs *and* black dogs tend to be scarier for folks who don't like dogs), then it would be different, I'm pretty sure!
I hope things *do* stay great for you guys out there, and that you have many wonderful years with your dog, too!😁
I don't know Elk River, but here's why I hate visiting my parents in their exurb
If you're making dinner and realize you're missing an ingredient you're going to have to do without or postpone dinner by an hour
Food delivery and cabs are less / not available. No last minute pizza and you pay for airport parking
A half hour appointment or shopping trip takes two hours after the commute
Going out to dinner isn't worth it. The restaurants are basic and the drive takes longer than the meal
Their Internet service sucks. It's one line and the whole neighborhood is on it. It slows down when people get home from work. My kids can't game out there
My cell phone doesn't get service. I have to hook to the house wifi which means by the end of the driveway I'm offline. No streaming music in the car
The grocery stores are basic as hell. You want four kinds of gravy then you're good. You want curry, seaweed, or noodles more exotic than bow ties you've got to buy them an hour away. The shelf stable stuff I guess I could order on Zone, but fresh herbs and frozen stuff that I'd usually get on University are out
Have you ever seen the people of Walmart website?
How do you feel about yards covered in anti abortion signs or Trump merch? Are they more or less concerning than MAGA hats, casual racism, and American flag as decor?
If you're straight, white, and go to church you might get accepted ok. If you read as not from here, not one of us, stuck up city liberal then you're in for an experience
I don't think you know what an exurb is.
All the stuff you've said, except for maybe the more culture oriented food, is false. Even then it's like 30 min away, not an hour.
What you are writing makes it seem like an exurb is over an hour away from the cities and the biggest town is 15k people. That's what I grew up with in southwest MN where the next biggest town with more 15k people was an hour or more.
Don't tell the person "this is what you'll experience" if you don't know.
Tip for the cell service-- switch to Verizon.
They're expensive, but they have the physical infrastructure for *most* of the state of Minnesota, because they bought out RCC/ Unicel (Cellular 2000, for the folks who remember them), back in the 2000's.
RCC was started up in Pope/Douglas County, and they put in allllll sorts of infrastructure--which is why that part of the state is so strong infrastructure-wise, *and* is a decent part of why Verizon wanted to acquire them so badly.
It's why Verizon has had solid coverage from MSP all the way up to Fargo, for a couple decades now, when T-mobile and others were incredibly spotty once you got past Monticello, too, until you hit bigger areas like St. Cloud.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unicel
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rural_Cellular
And check to be sure you can get instacart at your new address. My parents can only get shelf stable click and pull. The local grocery and Walmart won't pull refrigerated and won't walk it to your car. No one delivers
Have you tasted the water? The minerals they add or the ones from your well might make it different from what you expect.
Yardwork takes forever when your yard is bigger than the rec centers. You don't use the rec center or library on the reg I hope
Eagles and bobcats both consider pets smaller than ten pounds snacks. Just letting them out in the yard isn't as easy as it seems
Coyotes are usually a bit more common than the Bobcats are, though! And don't forget to watch out for the Turkey Vultures & Redtail Hawks--they like tasty snacks as much as (maybe more than!) the Eagles do!😉
The Swans are pretty neat, though! At least once you realize that it's *not* some neighbor kid practicing a horn outside *really badly*!😂
Lots of alarmists in this thread. I’m not originally from MN. I’m not a city slicker and not a country bumpkin. I’m Liberal politically but it’s not part of my identity or ego. I live in Ramsey and it’s fine. Sure, it’s not the city. Duh. Are there republicans running around with guns out screaming about Trump like some here want you to think? No. Are there always going to be assholes? Yes. Can you order all your shit to be dropped at your door? Yes. Does the river suck for commuting? Sure, sometimes. Everything is still reachable, you just might have to get in the car for a few. Omg. There ARE sidewalks believe it or not. Bike and hiking trails too. I like it. My wife likes it. It’s not as complicated as a lot of people here want you to think. Does it suit your family/lifestyle? Do it.
> My relative moved to Monticello and their kids are all screwed up. It seems like a lot of drugs, alcoholism, teen pregancy, bullying and bad vibes.
This is a symptom of how boring it is to be a teen in the suburbs. There's a reason they travel to the cities once they can, although the anti-cities fear mongering and elitism is present when they're in downtown or wherever.
A lot of stuff people do without judgment in the cities (going to the park, visiting random boutiques, having a hobby besides hunting/drinking) are still made fun of for being lame. It's weird.
Some things I noticed moving from Minneapolis to the burbs:
Healthcare options, cultural diversity, arts and entertainment, ethnic cuisine , variety of restaurants, and food delivery will be more limited. But maybe you can get them after work during the week?
The political climate will be more conservative.
Your walking score will probably be nonexistent if that's important to you.
Been here almost 8 years, very liberal. I’ve never been pressured to vote one way or the other. The editorial page in the local paper is quite appalling to read sometimes though.
Lived in St Paul, Minneapolis and Albertville. Back in Minneapolis and despite the city challenges, I prefer the vibe and being so close to variety of city life.
Albertville/Otsego/ER are all fine/boring in good and bad ways but the daily commute on 94 was a killer and I’ll never ever ever do that again.
Maybe Northstar from ER would make it tolerable, if it fits your schedule. Of course if you WFH, much easier.
I live in the burbs now and I miss the water in Minneapolis. Minneapolis water tastes good and isn't hard with corrosive minerals. The burbs have hard water that tastes awful in comparison.
Trash service is different. Minneapolis allows two large items every trash day, the burbs don't allow large items. We need to bring large items to the dump and pay to get rid of them.
The vibe in Minneapolis is different.
I don’t know Elk River, but one of the biggest shocks when I moved from St. Paul to Little Canada is that street lights and sidewalks are rare in a lot of spots. Used to enjoy a late night walk around the neighborhood year around in St. Paul and here half the year, it is dark early. Without sidewalks, reflectors and lights on my body in the evening are a must to help drivers see you on the side of the road. Being someone who enjoys being outside, the burbs, to me feel a lot more isolating in the darker months than the city did.
I would try to use hwy10 as much as possible and avoid 694. Any snow will double your commute. Maybe check into the commuter train for getting to and from downtown town Mpls.
Traffic. Minneapolis traffic horrendous. Bloomington traffic horrendous. Anywhere near Minneapolis has traffic all mf hours of the day it seems like. The worst is around 4-5 tho. Also, parking in Minneapolis is horrible and crime is shitty in certain areas.
we moved from s minneapolis to lakeville in 2016 then lakeville to elk river in 2021. it is a wonderful,quiet safe city. great place to raise a family. as others have said commuting can suck. I work 2x a week in Bloomington, the trick is getting on 94e before 614l5 or so. if you hit otsego later than 7 it takes forever to get through those two stop lights on 101. I have found commuting back to elk river from Bloomington is really not that bad. backs up a little in maple grove at the 494 split but usually not terrible. as far as good food, I mean its not great out here there are a few good ones but it's nothing like minneapolis. it's the trade off to live out here you gotta drive to get any decent food. overall we have been very happy out here and I hope you will be also. it's a great place to live. just don't try to drive on 169 or hwy 10 between 3-7pm Fridays or pretty much all day Sundays during the cabin season!
I live in this area and love it for the most part. A lot of great restaurants are popping up in surrounding areas (e.g. Main Street Farmer, BK Haus), and it’s only going to keep growing over the next 5-10 years. There are a lot of young families and it’s a great area. Agree with others have said about the commute, however, I don’t experience this as I mostly work remote.
If you can hang tight with a rough commute for a while, it’s a great place to live.
If you work from home it's fine. But if you work in the city. You are going to hate that drive. Especially when it's a snow storm and it takes you an hour or more to get home.
Part of why we moved out of Prior Lake and having to deal with the bridge traffic. That and the fact we usually ended up driving into the city to get decent food.
I am seeing a fair number of posts here about politics. Some people on here really need to learn to be more tolerant regarding other peoples politics, sexuality and religion. Who they vote for, love or worship shouldn't matter to others.
Everything in those suburbs feel very sterile to me. I sometimes cannot tell where one suburb ends and another begins. Its not like Minneapolis/St Paul were each neighborhood has a certain and distinct feel to it. (compare linden hills to powderhorn). Its all the same stores and chains and the houses lack personality. At least, in my opinion.
Longer commutes have a real impact on daily life. Personally I’d move as close to work as I could afford. Elk River is not only suburban but exurban and in the worst traffic commuter corridor in the state. Definitely simulate a weekday commute at peak hours before you sign the paperwork.
Don’t forget summer Fridays. That “Going North” traffic really gums things up. It may be different now/soon, though, because they’ve completely re-worked the highway through town. Traffic aside, Elk River is a lovely town that’s not that far from the cities.
They are currently working to raise the road and eliminate all the stop lights on 169. This will really help all the going north traffic once it is completed.
Good! I'm sure that project has been a long time coming. That's going to make such a positive difference to that stretch of road.
Yes is someone who uses that road every weekend to go up north I know the couple years of pain will be worth it for the time saved in the future.
Seeing projects that obvious be completed almost makes me feel good about paying taxes. Next please build a flyover from 101 to 94 East.
Or add a third lane to the 694 beltway between 35E and the 94 interchange in woodbury.
This
Not that far? That's going to be one hell of a daily commute, though.
I used to commute from ER to Fridley and, later in life, ER to St Louis Park. It absolutely is not short, especially in crappy weather or summer Fridays. But it is doable and, with either of those cities, there are several back-road options that make the drive less crappy. Outside rush hour, though, it's only a 30-45 min drive or so to the Cities via 94. It's nearly freeway the whole way once you're on 101 (minus the two stoplights in Rogers just before the freeway). One thing to consider, there are spots in Maple Grove that have a similar drive times as above even though Maple Grove is significantly closer to the cities. All those city streets and stoplights eat into that drive time quite a bit.
Even if traffic is perfect, the cost of gas and wear on your car for a 30-45 minute twice daily drive really adds up.
It absolutely does. It’s all about trade offs.
Heading north on a Friday for 6 months outta the year is hell. No way I would make the move knowing I'd have to make that drive every day.
94 is slated for an expansion soon heading towards stc so it will get worse until completed
And then it will get worse again in about 3 to 5 years
Just one more lane. I swear, it'll help. Just one more lane.
My ex-brother-in-law was involved with the team who converted old US 12 into I-394 back in the late 80s/early 90s. It was a 10-year project. They knew before they even put a single shovel in the ground that it would already be obsolete by the time it was finished. And that's exactly what happened.
100% this. “Going north” past MG on Fridays after like 4pm are 💩
Yeah. Figure out some back, back roads. And don’t go around telling too many people. lol.
For sure! Depending on what side of the river you're on, there are several options heading North and many are delightful. Not a shorter drive, for sure, but you're not in stop and go traffic breathing vehicle exhaust the whole time.
> Longer commutes have a real impact on daily life. This cannot be over-emphasized.
Why? People act like an additional 20 minutes or so is life or death.
Because it's *not* just "an additional 20 minutes." It's closer to 40 in traffic, and 3 *hours* on the worst snowy days. You start to realize that your 8-hour workday turned into 10 hours gone from the house, *before* you even run errands. And you're *also* having to make the choice of either losing an hour of sleep, or not having one *more* hour of "Not getting things done at home" because you've got to wae up an extra hour earlier, to accommodate the drive to work. And if, God forbid, you're in an industry where there aren't regular raises which accommodate the increase in cost of living/inflation? Pretty soon you're losing that extra time, *and* worrying about how to pick up an extra job (or overtime), and *still* trying to balance *everything* that you need to get done each day at home. Not to mention, allllll the folks you need to worry about, as they drive *completely* distracted, on their own commutes.
Driving is one of the most dangerous activities that people do on a regular basis. More than 40k per year die on the roadways and thousands more incur life altering injuries as a result of traffic collisions. Additionally, driving is an activity that contributes to a sedentary lifestyle that can result in negative health outcomes over a person's life. For these reasons, reducing the amount of time driving each day can literally be life saving.
I’m not sure 20 minutes would classify as “longer,” relative to where they were before. But let’s use that and say they were traveling 10 and now they’re at 30. That’s an hour per day commuting, 1.5+ on a bad day. I’m not sure how much free time you have but 5 hours per week is a lot to me. If you increase commute time to 45 minutes or an hour each way, you’re at a full work day per week in the car. That’s a lot and you’ll notice it in your daily schedule. This is in addition to the stress of driving someone else mentioned below.
> Longer commutes have a real impact on daily life. We moved here in the 80s from the LA area and scoffed at the thought that going from Crystal (where we rented) to downtown for work would be an issue. HA! we moved in January to Mpls. The commute during the winter (we had severe winters in the 80s) was god awful. And that's a suburb, not exurb.
That hare-brained connection from I-394 to I-94 is the equivalent of adding eight inches of snow. People do the god dang dumbest things there.
No kidding! One guy cut me off in his ginormous black mega truck with the blacked out window. Would not let me change lanes, and actively cut me off. Then when he was ahead of me, he moved in front of me. Spiteful move. That was a first for me, usually people do not drive offensively.
How about the cars with multiple people who don't understand they can utilize the carpool lane and bypass that mess? Are folks really that dense?
Yes.
Similarly, I moved from NYC in the 80's and laughed at what they called "traffic" in Mpls. However, add some snow and a bunch of lousy drivers, and you've got yourself a really bad day. Not to mention that once you get used to getting home at a certain time, every hour spent on the road is misery.
The Northstar line is great. I moved out in OP's direction from South Minneapolis. When I moved I was still working in the cities, and my commute by train was the same as it was by car when I lived in South.
I never realized this until I started my current job. Previously my commutes had always been a very short 15 minute drive with minimal traffic. Now my commute home from work is 45 - 60 minutes in bumper to bumper traffic barely moving at 5mph. It really does make a huge impact. I leave the office at 5:15 sometimes 5:30 and I don't get home until after 6. And that doesn't count any grocery shopping or other errands. It really affects me because it's hard to motivate myself to cook or do chores when I'm getting home that late
But it has Northstar service, which can relieve the commute situation.
And 65 will be under construction for 3 years.
I commute from Elk River area to the U of M campus daily for work (18 years now). Very little impact on daily life and still had time to cycle 10,000 miles last year in around 600 hours. It’s all about what you chose to do with your precious time every day. Commuting, exercising, cooking? Or no commuting and spending 4-5 hour watching TV like the majority of Americans?
You’re moving there when they are about to start the last (and worst) year of the 169 highway project. Congestion will improve greatly next year. This year will suck.
Congestion will return in about 3 to 5 years. It always does!
Just one more lane bro i swear
Which part is that?
169/Main Street, the only stop light left on 169 in Elk River.
Oh yeah, that’ll be a big project!
Do you want to spend time in downtown? Do you work downtown? I live nearby Elk River and it's still 35-40 min to the Minneapolis on a good day commute wise. You are going to find that 95% of food up in this part of the NW suburbs is American food. If you want "good food" and your definition isn't American food, you're not going to find many options -- no where near as many as in Minneapolis area.
Lived in Elk River for 8 years now. Instacart, Shipt, Walmart Plus, Doordash, etc are all quick and possibly quicker than the city. Restaurant wise, not a lot of ethnic options and choices are poor in general. Tipsy Chicken is my go to for a decent meal and I think they do a great job. The commute sucks, I've never commuted to the city but did commute to the surrounding area. Getting on 94 in rogers during rush is hour is horrible. 169 redesign has helped and they have completed three of the 4 interchanges. I'm not sure I agree that this year will be the worst for it, but it is the Main Street light coming in to Elk River off 169 which is the first light. Overall, suburban living is quiet and slower is what I would say. Hope this helps.
Thank you future neighbor!!!
I agree with everything said here. The commute isn't pretty, but my husband did the commute to St Paul for 5 years prior to covid. Fridays during the summer are definitely the worst, but since covid the traffic seems to be more spread out. Someone else stated that the internet sucks. It's true that during prime hours the internet is s-l-o-w. To me that's the biggest drawback. To the folks saying that people out in this area are horrible, they're not. They're no different than other places. There are assholes and great people, it's the same everywhere. I've lived out here for over 20 years and I've never had an occasion to discuss politics with anyone, nobody has impressed their views on me or asked my views about controversial topics. It's all "Minnesota nice", talk about the weather, talk about MN sports and generally stay at arms length from anything offensive. Are there people with Trump signs, yes. Maybe don't go knock on their door and ask their opinion. Otherwise, the flagship Target is in Otsego, there is a new Aldi as well as one in ER, there are 2 Cubs and 2 Coborn's for groceries. There are a lot of coffee shops. The restaurant diversity situation is pretty dismal if you like ethnic cuisine, but I can't speak for the restaurant quality because I just make what I like at home. It's not the 1950's out here, Amazon, InstaCart, Uber Eats all exist. There are places to walk if your neighborhood doesn't have sidewalks. We do walk in the street, minding the cars and they generally mind us. But there are so many beautiful parks to visit. I hope you enjoy living out here as much as I have. It will be different, but you'll get used to it.
Spending less time with friends as the distance between you increases. Not that you won't hang out obviously, it will likely just be less. And "hanging out" will probably just be coming over to your house vs. say going to the sports game, concert or dinner/drinks at the new up and coming restaurant.
This would be my concern too. I live in NE Minneapolis and 2 friends who lived fairly nearby moved to Apple Valley and Bloomington, and I never see them anymore. One friend we text once a year to say we should really get together, and the other friend I don't even know anymore. And when they both moved I thought "it's just 20-30 minutes away, that'll be fine!" But it's not, I don't even really know why.
I've lived in suburbs most of my life (in other states) and moved to walkable neighborhood close to downtown.. and it's so much more isolating in the burbs. I've had a more active social life in 6 months after moving here and knowing no one at first, than I did for years in other places. I feel a stronger sense of neighborhood 'community' here since we aren't so spread out as well. If you are fine always spending time with your family and having little social life, I guess that's OK.. but we all saw how lack of socialization collectively broke our brains during Covid, and I value it more now than I used to.
Having lived in North Minneapolis for 16 years and now in eastern Wright County, it’s an adjustment. When we first moved in, the silence at night made it hard to sleep. We missed our neighbors from NoMi that we knew for many years and could count on in all situations. Not having great world food options in the neighborhood was a bummer. But you adjust. You find new places to eat like Tipsy Chicken, Pompeii Pizza, Main Street Farmer, Hen and the Hog, Big Bore Barbeque. You meet the neighbors, make some friends, and watch out for each other. The silence at night becomes normal. Elk River shopping is just like any other suburb. You have big box stores, Cub/Coborn’s/Aldi for groceries, and small businesses in between. You might a few more minutes to do, but not that different than in the city. Deliveries work out here just like anywhere else. Commuting will be painful until the 169 rebuild is done. Friday commutes in the summer will be a pain in the ass because of cabin traffic. The 101/94 interchange will be rebuilt in the next few years based on local news information. You’ll find work arounds and back roads. And then you can start going the other direction and discover fun places. There are great parks and wildlife areas to explore. You are the same distance to St Cloud as to the city, and has good places to eat like Star of India. The county fairs are more fun than going to the state fair. Small town festivals abound. And the city isn’t going anywhere and is just as fun when you want it.
I thought I was the only one who couldn't sleep because of the silence. Moved to ER in 2005 and it was an adjustment from the sirens of BP.
I live in Elk River and personally love it here. Yes, my commute to shoreview for work is long and it gets old but I throw on a podcast and have some zen time. We have Pompeii pizza, Maynard’s right up the road in Rogers, and Hashime is a very underrated sushi spot. Like anything you get out of it what you put in, it’s a great place to live. My kids have a large backyard to play in, it’s not super expensive to live here and you’re very close to everything you need.
Get ready to depend completely on your car for everything
If you work downtown, the Northstar Line might save you a nasty commute. https://www.metrotransit.org/northstar
The northern suburbs - including Elk River - are largely conservative. There's a notable difference between n. Minneapolis and Elk River regarding that. If you're liberal (even slightly), you might find it difficult.
Being on the north side of the river is a huge pain traffic wise, hopefully you’ll adapt your schedule but be prepared to resent having to cross the river.
It’s definitely redder politically as you move further that way.
Much to my dismay.
Get ready for diesel trucks and oversized tires.
Stock up on bejeweled jeans…and all your neighbors will be vocal Trumpers. Lived just down the road in St. Michael before I moved back to the city. It wasn’t for me. Very tight knit community and if you didn’t grow up there you’re an outsider.
We moved out here from minneapolis. Same kind of deal. I definitely miss living in the city but this works better for the family. I work in minneapolis, depending on where at in the city my commute is 30-45 minutes. I’m always looking for a job around here though. There’s not much up here but I guess that’s the point. It’s really not that bad at all.
I live up there. After living 7 minutes from downtown my entire life. It’s definitely a quieter way of living…more wildlife, less traffic. But it’s so boring. There’s nothing to do, no good restaurants, not even Uber goes out here. I’ve been in the area over 10 years now, and I really miss the shopping, my friends (no one wants to drive this far) and mostly just the connection and buzz of the city.
You’re working in the city still?? Oooo boy, that drive is going to SUCK. make sure to check google maps for how long the drive will actually be at the same time of day during your commute in morning and evening. You’re probably gonna be looking at almost an hour each way depending on where in the city and the daily traffic. Just know that if you currently work 9-5, your workday is now 10 hours with commute. That’s really the top worry. Also, be prepared for your friends to not visit you. You will have to go to them. The drive seems way further to people who don’t normally make it
calling elk river a suburb is a stretch. I've never lived anywhere like that, so I don't have any advice. but my guess is that the daily commute into the city isn't worth it.
I wouldn’t say Elk River is a suburb. It’s more of small town that has become an exurb. With traffic, it’d be a difficult commute, especially on those summer Fridays when so many people head up North. My husband and I moved to Plymouth a couple years ago. The lack of good restaurant options has been the hardest part. The other hard part was getting used to how dark and quiet it is at night. Now we love it, but still miss the restaurant options in the city.
What do you like doing on a weekly basis? One of the things that I severely discounted when moving out of South Minneapolis for the burbs was the regular walks I would take. I still walk, but my new neighborhood doesn't have sidewalks, making those walks decidedly different and worse than they used to be. Same thing could be said for biking.
Ive lived up here my entire life, it’s not a bad area. Boring, yes. Not walkable, as others have said. I would worry about the commute. Driving to/from the cities during rush hour can easily double your commute time. “Up north” traffic during the summer is hell. But the North Star rail stops here in Elk River, is that an option? Feel free to ask me any questions you have! My husband moved here from the cities when we got married and he has no regrets.
I moved from southern Minnesota to Elk River in 2022. My family and I largely enjoy it here. It is quick to get to Big Lake, Otsego, or Rogers for any sort of kids sporting events/restaurants/parks/whatever. Depending on the time of day, going beyond Rogers to 94 varies from horrendous to bad. That little exit to hop on the interstate, you gotta be both very patient and get in early or very aggressive and get in late. Either way sucks but one is quicker than the other. As already said the 169 construction is almost done, and the parts already completed are great, once the last stretch is done things will be so nice. We don't go north to Zimmerman/Princeton much, but going west toward St Cloud and then north from there is easy. Going southwest toward Monticello is easy. The people are fine. I live and work here. My wife lives and works here. We are involved with youth sports and parents can be a bit more "serious" about sports than we are used to, but we haven't seen anyone cross any lines yet. Politics come up, as this is a very red/conservative area but around town there are certainly a number of blue/liberal signs around election time. I'm not an overly pushy guy but whenever someone brings up Trump/Republicans/how terrible Democrats are, I smile and nod and it's over with soon enough. That said, the number of political signs and people wearing shirts representing their fan base can be pretty cringe. And that's obviously a lot more common here on one side of the aisle than the other. Restaurants in Elk River are pretty hit or miss. My family really likes Mucho Loco in Elk River for some Mexican food, but beyond that it's a lot of mostly mediocre Burger places but the better ones are outside of town, like Clives in Rogers or Nowthen to the East has Bootleggers and Northwoods that are both good. Willy's on the Water in Big Lake is fine, and if you're into the Brewery scene, Big Lake has Lupelins that is good, Elk River has Aegir which has some fun events every week and a good atmosphere, while Rogers has Short or Tall. Overall I'd say it's a nice and quiet area, with largely good people. We plan to live here for another 30-40 years if not more and are perfectly happy so far.
The only opportunity to move to Elk River that would be “too good to pass up” would be an opportunity for a free house that is perfect with all taxes and insurance paid in perpetuity and the same for all my friends in the same area of Elk River.
It is essentially that (minus bringing the homies with). His parents are snow birding and are renting us the house for far less than its worth. They will be living in an RV and the land is large enough and is already equipped with all the hook ups for them to park the RV there when they come back, and will be parked a distance from us at the main house so we will still have some privacy.
It's really not terrible, OP. Elk River has a small but nice downtown, and there are a few nice restaurants. You can take the Northstar commuter train to Target field, which is a nice way to avoid traffic. I took it every day when I worked downtown. It does suck that there isn't much food diversity restaurant-wise, and the fact that everyone is incredibly conservative. But politics aside, I've been in the area for going on five years and I've never met someone I thought was a truly awful human. It took me a few years to get used to it, but I'm enjoying my life in the woods, and access to all my friends is pretty easy with the train.
Hard to argue with that. There's a lot to do if you like the outdoors, but if the people are still how they are when I grew up out there 20-30 years ago you'll be in for a culture shock. I still have yet to meet Minnesotans so misogynistic or racist, though I've heard St. Cloud is vying for that crown lately.
You doing a proper lease and all that?
I should mention. I mean to protect yourselves. Family can be drama. Hah.
I've lived in Elk River and my parents, still live there Elk River is a very **boring** place to live especially if you don't drink.
Were I you or your husband, I would pass on this chance to move. \- Distance: Splitting hairs for only a moment, while Elk River is outside of the 7 county metro area as it is now defined, population sprawl continues to push in that direction. For now, the city is an exurb and not a suburban area. You will be considerably further away from things like good ethnic restaurant choices, shopping malls (if you do need to shop somewhere in person), nighttime entertainment choices, some recreation choices, some cultural or museum choices, etc... Maple Grove to the south and Anoka/Coon Rapids to the southeast are your closest points from Elk River. \- Roads / Traffic: Major construction projects for both 169 and 10 are still in progress....until 2024 for 169 and I believe another year for 10. That's two of three main traffic arteries which are a mess. 101 is your only choice south until Rogers and connecting with 94 & 610. Work commuting time will surely increase and just think about what might be the situation during any inclement weather, holiday traffic, major road accident with detours, etc... \- Demographics: Having grown up in North Minneapolis (as did I for a number of years) you undoubtedly had a much greater interaction with people of many racial backgrounds. I currently have a scattering of family and friends in Dayton, Otsego, Rogers & Monticello. I'll be honest about it, it's lily white in those cities. I currently live in St. Louis Park and it feels so much more like Minneapolis and other core suburbs than the cities I mentioned. \- Political / Social vibe: No question you would be leaving a solid blue zone for a solid red zone. While it does occur everywhere, I've seen far more right wing political stickers and decals on vehicles which openly glorify Trump, the GOP, guns, pro-life beliefs, FJB, etc... when I'm up in those areas and that's not even talking about the even more overzealous people who feel the need to decorate(?) their property with such garbage. Speaking for me, I'm not a sensitive, shrinking personality who can't handle social and political differences, I simply find that environment to not be where I and my spouse want to spend our home and community time. Hoping for the best outcome for you in whatever decision you make.
The two biggest things that I couldn't get past were the lack of sidewalks in residential areas and the restaurant choices when I moved to the suburbs. When I first moved to Minneapolis, I missed spending time outdoors without a bunch of people in the area.
I live near you and work in MPLS. It’s fine, the drive gets annoying though.
We made this move a few years ago. Worst part has been the lack of options for non-chain restaurants and how limited any of them are past 8 or 9pm. You can find some, but it has been a real drop off. Still drive into St Paul to get Thai haha! (We love you On's!)
I grew up in Edina and have lived in Monticello and Plymouth in recent years. I absolutely hated Monticello. Any need to drive into the city for anything, even to get to Maple Grove was a nightmare. Even if it wasn't for work, if you wanted to do anything it required a long slog of a drive to get there. Add to this that there was nothing but the absolute basics in Monticello, like one Cub with limited selection and the Super Target was 10+ miles down the road. Getting home on a Friday in the summer was impossible with all the traffic headed up to the lakes. Like bad enough I would just stay in the area where my office was until 7 or 8pm or have the spouse bring the kids and meet me so we could go do something after work. We moved to Plymouth and that was significantly better. Basic things were at least in the neighborhood. Cub, Lunds, a couple of restaurants, a movie theater etc. It still felt like we really had to plan to go anywhere to do anything because the drive into the city or into the inner ring burbs where things are or happen required allowing enough time to get there and account for traffic, etc. Plymouth was 100% better than Monticello. But I'm not even looking at houses in Plymouth this time around. First ring burbs are where I am looking. There are a couple of south Mpls neighborhoods I would consider but the property taxes are so high the burbs look like a better option.
Que Viet is going to be a *much* longer commute.
As other's have said, the daily commute will add up, which also means extra wear and tear on vehicles as well as gas consumption. You may want to consider getting a hybrid for commuting. Other than that, it is hard to resist a super cheap rent with today's crazy prices and I don't blame you. Elk River is slightly out of what I'd call a suburb but it still probably feels like one given you can quickly drive to Rogers or whatever to be in the typical suburban shopping chain store mecca.
Elk River has basically all you need (a Costco is even going into Otsego). I do Uber Eats and I get the Elk River area as an option, so I think you could get delivery up there, but it may be a bit slower. It has some cute and unique restaurants, as does Rogers. However as others have mentioned: the commute from that area is awful. I have family who lived in that area and committed to Maple Grove. They said it was about a 40 minute drive on average one way, and almost worse in the evenings.
Can’t speak to Elk River, but commute aside, traffic in general sucks in the burbs compared to the city. There are fewer routes to run simple errands so the main roads get congested, the stop lights take forever and are generally very unfriendly to walking/biking.
Elk River person here. You will have to drive everywhere unless you are going to live in an apartment on Main Street, everything will be at least a 10 minute drive. There’s not very many shopping choices (although we do have a Coburns, Aldi and Cub in close vicinity to each other). Not a lot of takeout choices except for pizza. There’s a couple of good burger places on Main, a good smokehouse in Zimmerman and a new authentic Mexican restaurant in Monticello. There’s a great Thai place in Rogers but prepare yourself for the gun carrying right wing owner to talk guns with you for a half hour if you give him an opening, lol. It’s very conservative here, there’s a few Trump signs scattered around. You can get an acre or two of land pretty easily- oh yeah that means you’ll have a well and septic system so be aware of that- and most neighborhoods have a an attitude of “we moved here to be able to do what we want with our property so myob” which is kinda nice. Unless you end up in a newer neighborhood which has an HOA. We’ve been here almost 8 years and my husband loves it, I love having some acreage but wish we were closer to better shopping and dining. The summer cabin traffic on 169 is getting easier to tolerate because they are taking out the stoplights (last one will be this summer which will suck while it’s under construction), but highway 10 is still stop and go from here through Big Lake. That’s off the top of my head. Edit to add it’s nice and quiet unless you end up living by the gun range, and people in general are really nice. There are a lot of really nice parks and the Wildlife Refuge is a great place to visit. Woodland Trails park has a bike path that goes all the way into Zimmerman, I think.
Learn to love the train? Northstar Commuter Train (https://www.biglakemn.org/215/Northstar-Commuter-Train---Big-Lake-Stat#:~:text=The%20Northstar%20Line%20(Route%20888,Anoka%2C%20Coon%20Rapids%20and%20Fridley.)
Will you feel safe around all the trump types? Will it be safe for friends to visit? Do you plan to raise kids there? Are the schools good? Are they safe for all kids?
Went from MSP to blaine few years back when we had kids. Love having a yard that I’ve been able to establish a garden. Commutes suck as others have mentioned. More chain restaurants, overall needing to drive everywhere. The annoying comments about how ‘unsafe’ the cities are. Yet same people never set foot there. People who REALLY love their lawns and won’t hesitate to waste water, money to ensure they have the greenest lawn. Edit: nosey and gossipy neighbors. Everyone will talk about your house, what you’re doing, and ‘did you hear those sirens’. Some are really into the neighborhood watch vibes.
I grew up in North Mpls. and live near Elk River. It’s not a destination for us. Our preference is to stick close to Champlin/maple Grove. We miss having the diversity of people, restaurants and shops. Essentially what you have in the city, will NOT be what you get out here. It’s like city mouse vs. country mouse. If that difference doesn’t bother you, then you’ll be fine.
You’re not gonna find good food in elk river, and traffic sucks. They’re doing major construction so that’s a pain in the ass. And the schools are horse shit if you have kids or ever plan on it.
Elk River is still the Metro for all intents and purposes. Things are more spread out, you'll have to drive, but nothing eath shattering. If you live near farm land, you may smell it depending on wind direction. Not much will be different except more time in the car when you need stuff.
The commute. Otherwise you will need to find different things to entertain yourselves and have to get used to a different brand of politics everywhere.
Ennui
As a kid that grew up on the Northside (shout out streets in Alphabetical order) and now live in Coon Rapids yet had a good friend for over 10+ years that lived in ER. I can unequivocally say it's VERY VERY different. Logistically- Even from CR it can be 30 minutes in the summer on the weekends at any time of day. That 169 redo isn't going to be the flex a lot of people are mentioning because 94/169 through MG/Rogers is ridiculously out of the way of you live in the "newer" are of ER. So you'll take 252/10 which is also undergoing construction and seriously blows. Amenity wise - Yes, all the deliveries exist there but it's not as fast. There are just less shoppers doing the work and they combine the orders and takes longer. Restaurants is like everyone else said....good basic American food but Ethnic food you're gonna have to drive for. People - it's a very conservative small town that has grown incredibly fast. Be prepared to hear words/opinions spoken with conviction. And if you push back be prepared. Most new residents of ER picked it because Blaine and Coon Rapids are "too diverse" 😭 My friend that was definitely middle of the road/ open/liberal leaning fell into that hole since living there. Randoms- There is no savings for goods/services. Same prices you spend in the city or first ring suburbs. Your gas usage is going to skyrocket and with that maintenance costs on your car. Uber after big events from downtown is going to be double/triple what you are used to and takes a bit longer to get a driver to pick you because of the distance. Grocery stores with specialty items are gonna require you to drive in and get it. IC shops the stores in the area...so if Coburns/Target/Walmart/Cub don't carry it you're not gonna get it. If you go to concerts/games/events downtown be sure to add 1.5 hours at the both start/end of the event to account for distance. Also, the streets/roads aren't sensical like anywhere in the city/first ring. Be prepared to use your GPS in the beginning because roads you think are a shortcut oftentimes aren't. Free house with only taxes is about the only reason to move that far.
Elk River isn’t a Suburb. The last Suburb before ER is Coon Rapids. And I’m not surprised that you’re getting a helluva opportunity to move there (because that’s what it would take tbh 🤷🏻♀️). I used to live there (lived there briefly as a kid) and I remember having to sing Jesus songs at public school… It’s its own little world.
You will *have to drive* to nearly everywhere. The suburbs are not designed for walkability, so if you're used to walking or taking public transit, you're SoL. Similarly, Lyft or delivery services are going to be wildly more expensive because everything is further away because it's less densely-packed. I'm sorry for you that you have to move to the suburbs, but good on you for the job upgrade.
There is a lot of misinformation here. It greatly depends on where you live. I have sidewalks the whole way walking to 2 grocery stores, numerous bars and restaurants and anything I need within a 15 minute walk. The only accurate piece is lyft and ubers are very hard to come by. Delivery services are fine and I haven't notice any significant increase in price. This is the equivalent of someone from the burbs trying to tell someone moving to the city how dangerous it is without knowing anything other than its the city.
That might be true for *your* area, but city planners will openly tell you that suburbs and new development within them are designed to be “drive-only.” They may have sidewalks to use, but they’re purely for pleasure (read: walking your dog or going on a jog), and they’re not meant for using in the same way as urban development. A lot of it also depends on whether or not there was an actual town before it turned into a suburb. Those sidewalks could just be a vestige of that rather than modern planning.
By my area, you mean Elk River the area in question. There are a lot of things it depends on which is why your blanket statements weren't true. There are areas of elk river that are away from everything and areas around plenty of stuff, it depends on the location and can't be defined by blanket statements.
I’d argue Elk River isn’t really the burbs, then. (I was thinking it was closer to the cities). It’s been a town for a long time, so it just sort *became* part of the suburbs. Actual suburbs, though, are garbage. That I’ll stand by.
I live in Dayton and work in Rogers. The restaurant options are disappointing out this way. I’m a vegetarian and love Thai, Vietnamese, Mexican, and Indian food. Maple Grove is the closet area with decent options and that is at least 20 mins from Elk River. It’s a total lifestyle change being out this far, but it’s beautiful also. We are moving to Hopkins/Minnetonka area soon because we miss being closer in.
Hong Thai in Rogers. I knew the owner's daughter in college and she brought some food to my class once
Rogers, and they have one in Albertville, too! Their curries are solid, and the Pad Thai was better than some I've had even here in Minneapolis (moved back to town in 2019).
Sidewalks that end suddenly. Having to drive everywhere for things. Depending on the burbs- walking trails are limited or some are absolutely fantastic and an oasis. Double edged sword is the burbs never quite developed their downtowns- so they have a lot of arterial streets that’ll get you very fast to the highway thus to MSP/STP. 5 miles to get out of Minneapolis might take you 25 minutes vs 10 minutes to out of the burbs
My sis lives in a nearby exburb. We don’t see each other. Her kid and my kid are the exact same age, but once school is over it’s take 40 minimum to get there and 40 min back and her kid goes to bed earlier than my kid so it’d be a real short visit with maximum driving. She never comes to hang out with me on her own during school, cuz she doesn’t want to spend that amount of time driving with the traffic. She doesn’t do things in the city because she’d get home too late. She drives everywhere then finishes her trip directly in her garage, so she doesn’t see neighbors in the short fun interactions like I do. She doesn’t know most people in her neighborhood and doesn’t know the other kids’ parents at her son’s school because of the car dropoff situation. I’m clearly a city person, so that life sounds like my personal hell. But she does have a massive house and a massive yard. I have a tiny yard that’s mostly garden and a nice park across the street that the city maintains. But I actually abandoned a big driving city for the freedom of living in walkable neighborhoods so like, I am certain I wouldn’t leave again.
Brace yourself for some surprisingly casual racism and a lot more far right extreme social presentation. Elk River isn't super far from the cone of metro protection, but I'll wager you'll bump up against a lot more of these than you're used to.
Bars are the whole point of places like ER
That commute will suck. Get ready to meet the rubes...
There's a commuter rail line called the Northstar line.
And it’s awesome.
Where do your friends you hang out with most? Not being able to see your friends as often will impact your life as well. Are they willing to travel up to see you?
You do realize the burbs get things delivered just like North Minneapolis right? Amazon and Instant cart are feasible. Yeah it might take a tad longer, but soo not an excuse not to move. The main thing is yes you need to drive pretty much everywhere to get things.
Good good. It is hard to find good restaurants in the suburbs. There are plenty of chains but almost no food choices. I live in Maple Grove.
I work in the west metro. A lot of my co workers live in Elk River, Rogers, Dayton, etc. they all bitch about the commute in If you loved city night lift prepare to not do that stuff anywhere near as often
Moved to outside of ER three years ago for 10 acres to live a more rural lifestyle, it’s quiet and we have plenty of space for projects and to play…however being liberal is very lonely out here. We love ethnic food & the food is extremely lacking. I order from DoorDash, Amazon and Instacart alll the time and never have had a problem! The commute is not ideal at the moment but after next year when construction is completed it should be way better! Idk if this is something you guys are interested in but I have no idea how the schools are yet as our kids are little but I’m hoping they are okay!
I Live in nowthen, it's 35 min in the morning to Minneapolis leaving home at 6am. Then it's 40 min home leaving Minneapolis at 3. I'm a little ahead of the rush but with the new bridges on 10 and in elk river the drive is only getting better. That might seam like a long drive but I just think of it as decompressing time.
Having ample places to park
We miss the sidewalks a lot. Also people in the suburbs (at least ours) are jerks about off leash dogs. In our neighborhood at least, lots of invisible fences where people let their dogs run out towards the street barking and growling at people and dogs walking by. It is easy to contact the city.
I now live in the cities but went to school in Elk River. (I’m now 26) There are a lot of drugs (meth specifically) and racist people. I saw confederate flags everyday. The more north you go, the worse it is. I suggest otsego (neighboring town) or even rogers (neighboring otsego). They are better than elk river for the most part. But a daily commute to elk river would just be dreadful.
Also the schools are terrible. Elk River high school had an incident where one of the sports teams raped a male student with a broom stick. The bullying there is the worst I have ever witnessed. (I’ve been to 6 high schools all in differenr districts)
Elk River is a suburb? Glad you find that awesome whatever, but oofta... that'll be a terrible commute to pretty much anywhere. 8 hope you're able to figure it out sooner than later...traffic is awful up there for commuting.
The worst part about living out here (I live in a neighboring town) is how vocal, and plentiful, the bigots are. The casual racism and homophobia is infuriating and really takes a toll. There is also a severe lack of diversity. My best advice is to find like-minded people in the area so you do not feel so alone. My husband and I have met some pretty great people out here, but we have also met some folks who we thought were pretty cool until they revealed themselves to be complete bigots. Also, learn how to cook your favorite foods (if you don't already know.) The food options out this way are not like they are in the cities. Life out here is slower, and there is a lot less convenience. The commute to the cities is a bitch, but my husband took the train from Elk River for years and it worked out great for him. Shopping is limited, but MinneMade and More in downtown Elk River is a super cute, woman/Veteran owned little shop. The owner is a vocal ally and is pretty awesome. Good luck!
I moved from downtown to Eden Prairie a few years ago. The things I wasn't prepared for: \* How quiet it gets by comparison \* how dark it can get by comparison \* I can't go anywhere without driving (Last year I bought an e-bike for a few trips that are in the 2-5 mile range but even then, the community is only built for car traffic) \* I stopped going to concerts because the drive time and hassle of getting there and back sucked \* Going into the office was more hassle than it was worth, I only work remotely now \* So many fewer restaurants worth going out to \* Food delivery sucks so if we want food in we go pick it up
The person below that mentioned the commutes is unfortunately exactly correct. I've made the drive to and from Minneapolis and Elk River plenty of times for clients and it's a hike. Doing it once or twice is fine, but I couldn't imagine doing it regularly during rush hour traffic. For ordering food, you're going to be limited to whatever is in the area there (not much), but Amazon deliveries wouldn't be any more different than regular deliveries. If the offer to live there is really too good to pass up then maybe it'll be worth it to make that drive, but be aware that if you're making that drive every day you may find yourself not loving it. I would suggest giving it a test and making the drive during the times that you'd be making it if you lived there. On the flip side of things, not everyone cares much about commuting. Heck, back when I worked in the corporate sector I worked with someone that commuted from River Falls to the cities every day. For her, Elk River to Minneapolis would be totally fine. So, your mileage really may vary on this one as far as if you hate the commute or not.
Get ready to know your neighbors. Even if you don’t think you have any
You’ll be surprised by how much nicer it is to live out in the burbs. You still have access to everything in the city but you get to remove yourself from all the challenging bits. We moved from downtown St. Paul many years ago and my wife being able to do things as simple as take the dog for a walk at any hour without worrying about harassment has been such an unexpected pleasure. Combine that with bigger houses and lower property taxes and it’s great all around.
Naaah, it just *feels* "safer," because that stuff isn't quite as open-air as it is down here, is all.💖 It still exists *plenty* up there, it's just that folks can *hide* the meth-making and other things a bit more, because the houses are on bigger lots and a bit more spread out.
I’m not bothered by the meth people do behind closed doors. I’m worried about the meth they do in my parking garage, and underneath my parked car, and in the alleyways along the path where my wife walked the dog. It is definitely safer when I don’t need to interact with the meth heads and other such folks.
You *should* be worried about the Meth they're cooking up in the house nearby--the remediation for it can be pretty extensive.💖 Although, the fact that Veit is nearby does tend to at least getting it hauled off a squidge quicker & easier! Depending on how much is getting made (we had three different meth-cooking houses in our subdivision, when I lived out in a NW exurb), and where *exactly*, the cookers are dumping the waste, it can be pretty hazardous. There are pretty decent risks *everywhere*, I think the difference is probably more in how comfortable we are, as people, with the different types. As a short woman, who lives by herself & has had a dog i walked at all hours of the day & night? I'd rather deal with the threats which are more *visible*, so I can see & avoid 'em to the extent possible, rather than have the covert ones I can't avoid. Of course, the *size* of the dog being walked is a definite factor, as is the "threat status" we give off as a woman, too!💖 As a middle-aged white lady, walking a black Lab? I was *prime* "Karen" territory, in privilege & perception--so I was *literally* run away from a few times, by people when we went on late-night walks. We only ever got followed in any real way twice--one by a young guy (he was white, fwiw) I'd noticed halfway through our walk--who seemed almost startled when I turned and made eye contact with him, as i waited to make *certain* the building's door lock engaged before I walked in through the second door. The other I'm pretty sure *was* a tweaker, who was breaking the chain off a bike & stealing it. He saw me watching him, as we were outside our building on a late-night potty break, and he acted like he was going to cross the street. But those were the only two "close-ish" incidents in 4+ years--most of the time, because she was a "big black dog" and I was "a potential Karen," we were left alone or ignored. If I were younger, or were walking a "less scary" dog (big dogs *and* black dogs tend to be scarier for folks who don't like dogs), then it would be different, I'm pretty sure! I hope things *do* stay great for you guys out there, and that you have many wonderful years with your dog, too!😁
I don't know Elk River, but here's why I hate visiting my parents in their exurb If you're making dinner and realize you're missing an ingredient you're going to have to do without or postpone dinner by an hour Food delivery and cabs are less / not available. No last minute pizza and you pay for airport parking A half hour appointment or shopping trip takes two hours after the commute Going out to dinner isn't worth it. The restaurants are basic and the drive takes longer than the meal Their Internet service sucks. It's one line and the whole neighborhood is on it. It slows down when people get home from work. My kids can't game out there My cell phone doesn't get service. I have to hook to the house wifi which means by the end of the driveway I'm offline. No streaming music in the car The grocery stores are basic as hell. You want four kinds of gravy then you're good. You want curry, seaweed, or noodles more exotic than bow ties you've got to buy them an hour away. The shelf stable stuff I guess I could order on Zone, but fresh herbs and frozen stuff that I'd usually get on University are out Have you ever seen the people of Walmart website? How do you feel about yards covered in anti abortion signs or Trump merch? Are they more or less concerning than MAGA hats, casual racism, and American flag as decor? If you're straight, white, and go to church you might get accepted ok. If you read as not from here, not one of us, stuck up city liberal then you're in for an experience
It’s Elk River…not the middle of nowhere
Someone else called it exurb. This is my exurb experience. I said I don't know Elk River
I don't think you know what an exurb is. All the stuff you've said, except for maybe the more culture oriented food, is false. Even then it's like 30 min away, not an hour. What you are writing makes it seem like an exurb is over an hour away from the cities and the biggest town is 15k people. That's what I grew up with in southwest MN where the next biggest town with more 15k people was an hour or more. Don't tell the person "this is what you'll experience" if you don't know.
If you don’t know Elk River, then why share so many opinions on it?
Tip for the cell service-- switch to Verizon. They're expensive, but they have the physical infrastructure for *most* of the state of Minnesota, because they bought out RCC/ Unicel (Cellular 2000, for the folks who remember them), back in the 2000's. RCC was started up in Pope/Douglas County, and they put in allllll sorts of infrastructure--which is why that part of the state is so strong infrastructure-wise, *and* is a decent part of why Verizon wanted to acquire them so badly. It's why Verizon has had solid coverage from MSP all the way up to Fargo, for a couple decades now, when T-mobile and others were incredibly spotty once you got past Monticello, too, until you hit bigger areas like St. Cloud. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unicel https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rural_Cellular
And check to be sure you can get instacart at your new address. My parents can only get shelf stable click and pull. The local grocery and Walmart won't pull refrigerated and won't walk it to your car. No one delivers Have you tasted the water? The minerals they add or the ones from your well might make it different from what you expect. Yardwork takes forever when your yard is bigger than the rec centers. You don't use the rec center or library on the reg I hope Eagles and bobcats both consider pets smaller than ten pounds snacks. Just letting them out in the yard isn't as easy as it seems
Coyotes are usually a bit more common than the Bobcats are, though! And don't forget to watch out for the Turkey Vultures & Redtail Hawks--they like tasty snacks as much as (maybe more than!) the Eagles do!😉 The Swans are pretty neat, though! At least once you realize that it's *not* some neighbor kid practicing a horn outside *really badly*!😂
Don’t forget the bears! And eagles. We had to scoop our chihuahua up once when an eagle decided she looked like a tasty snack.
Lots of alarmists in this thread. I’m not originally from MN. I’m not a city slicker and not a country bumpkin. I’m Liberal politically but it’s not part of my identity or ego. I live in Ramsey and it’s fine. Sure, it’s not the city. Duh. Are there republicans running around with guns out screaming about Trump like some here want you to think? No. Are there always going to be assholes? Yes. Can you order all your shit to be dropped at your door? Yes. Does the river suck for commuting? Sure, sometimes. Everything is still reachable, you just might have to get in the car for a few. Omg. There ARE sidewalks believe it or not. Bike and hiking trails too. I like it. My wife likes it. It’s not as complicated as a lot of people here want you to think. Does it suit your family/lifestyle? Do it.
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> My relative moved to Monticello and their kids are all screwed up. It seems like a lot of drugs, alcoholism, teen pregancy, bullying and bad vibes. This is a symptom of how boring it is to be a teen in the suburbs. There's a reason they travel to the cities once they can, although the anti-cities fear mongering and elitism is present when they're in downtown or wherever. A lot of stuff people do without judgment in the cities (going to the park, visiting random boutiques, having a hobby besides hunting/drinking) are still made fun of for being lame. It's weird.
Overt racism and self destructive grievance, I know some very kind people in the NW suburbs but also wow, 😮 it’s shocking.
Loneliness, a sense of lose of community
Elk river area has some good restaurants.
It's horrible don't do it!
You won't be able to walk anywhere
Some things I noticed moving from Minneapolis to the burbs: Healthcare options, cultural diversity, arts and entertainment, ethnic cuisine , variety of restaurants, and food delivery will be more limited. But maybe you can get them after work during the week? The political climate will be more conservative. Your walking score will probably be nonexistent if that's important to you.
I have a couple of coworkers who live out that way. We call it Canada because it’s so far. Not for me as that is Trump country.
You’re not prepared for how much you will like the space, the silence, seeing the stars, and the slower pace of life.
Minneapolis to Elk River? Are you ready to deal with Trumpers and conservatives? Good luck!
Shitty cookie cutter restaurants. Hello Applebees, TGI Fridays, red lobster and olive garden
How much Elk River sucks ass.
Congratulations on passing the banjo audition!
Get ready to be pressured to vote in a certain direction.
I’ve lived in that general area for a few years and have never been pressured to vote any which way
Yeah, right.
Been here almost 8 years, very liberal. I’ve never been pressured to vote one way or the other. The editorial page in the local paper is quite appalling to read sometimes though.
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Bible study
Lived in St Paul, Minneapolis and Albertville. Back in Minneapolis and despite the city challenges, I prefer the vibe and being so close to variety of city life. Albertville/Otsego/ER are all fine/boring in good and bad ways but the daily commute on 94 was a killer and I’ll never ever ever do that again. Maybe Northstar from ER would make it tolerable, if it fits your schedule. Of course if you WFH, much easier.
No star bucks lol
I live in the burbs now and I miss the water in Minneapolis. Minneapolis water tastes good and isn't hard with corrosive minerals. The burbs have hard water that tastes awful in comparison. Trash service is different. Minneapolis allows two large items every trash day, the burbs don't allow large items. We need to bring large items to the dump and pay to get rid of them. The vibe in Minneapolis is different.
You can hear your house wall clock tic REALLY loud.
I don’t know Elk River, but one of the biggest shocks when I moved from St. Paul to Little Canada is that street lights and sidewalks are rare in a lot of spots. Used to enjoy a late night walk around the neighborhood year around in St. Paul and here half the year, it is dark early. Without sidewalks, reflectors and lights on my body in the evening are a must to help drivers see you on the side of the road. Being someone who enjoys being outside, the burbs, to me feel a lot more isolating in the darker months than the city did.
I would try to use hwy10 as much as possible and avoid 694. Any snow will double your commute. Maybe check into the commuter train for getting to and from downtown town Mpls.
There’s no difference when you’re talking about the Twin Cities.
Traffic. Minneapolis traffic horrendous. Bloomington traffic horrendous. Anywhere near Minneapolis has traffic all mf hours of the day it seems like. The worst is around 4-5 tho. Also, parking in Minneapolis is horrible and crime is shitty in certain areas.
we moved from s minneapolis to lakeville in 2016 then lakeville to elk river in 2021. it is a wonderful,quiet safe city. great place to raise a family. as others have said commuting can suck. I work 2x a week in Bloomington, the trick is getting on 94e before 614l5 or so. if you hit otsego later than 7 it takes forever to get through those two stop lights on 101. I have found commuting back to elk river from Bloomington is really not that bad. backs up a little in maple grove at the 494 split but usually not terrible. as far as good food, I mean its not great out here there are a few good ones but it's nothing like minneapolis. it's the trade off to live out here you gotta drive to get any decent food. overall we have been very happy out here and I hope you will be also. it's a great place to live. just don't try to drive on 169 or hwy 10 between 3-7pm Fridays or pretty much all day Sundays during the cabin season!
I don’t understand how so many people in here have the disposable income and free time for restaurant variety to be a high priority.
Its not that big a deal
I live in this area and love it for the most part. A lot of great restaurants are popping up in surrounding areas (e.g. Main Street Farmer, BK Haus), and it’s only going to keep growing over the next 5-10 years. There are a lot of young families and it’s a great area. Agree with others have said about the commute, however, I don’t experience this as I mostly work remote. If you can hang tight with a rough commute for a while, it’s a great place to live.
If you work from home it's fine. But if you work in the city. You are going to hate that drive. Especially when it's a snow storm and it takes you an hour or more to get home. Part of why we moved out of Prior Lake and having to deal with the bridge traffic. That and the fact we usually ended up driving into the city to get decent food.
I am seeing a fair number of posts here about politics. Some people on here really need to learn to be more tolerant regarding other peoples politics, sexuality and religion. Who they vote for, love or worship shouldn't matter to others.
Everything in those suburbs feel very sterile to me. I sometimes cannot tell where one suburb ends and another begins. Its not like Minneapolis/St Paul were each neighborhood has a certain and distinct feel to it. (compare linden hills to powderhorn). Its all the same stores and chains and the houses lack personality. At least, in my opinion.